Fire and Ice
by Tessen Girl
Summary: Well, it's high time I put a real "summary" here: How were Honoo and Yuki before they met Mosquiton? Come on, Fire and Ice couldn't have ALWAYS gotten along, ne?
1. Oooo! Brandy knows how to change the cha...

Disclaimer: Nope. Don't own Honoo or any of the series characters who may or not appear in this fic.   
  
  
Honoo rounded the corner at a run and skidded to a halt. After a moments pause, he peered carefully around it and looked up the street. The man who had been chasing him for the past few blocks was checking an alley on the same side of the street as Honoo was. The man decided that the alley needed furthur inspection and walked purposley into the gap between the buildings. Not wanting to be seen, Honoo scurried across the road and ran in the opposite direction. When the adrenaline fueled paranoia had subsided, he dropped to a walk and headed in the general direction of the place he was staying.  
  
Kicking up dirt in a bored manner, Honoo walked slowly down the dirt road, not in a rush to leave the town. Afterall, the close buildings provided more shelter from the wind than where he lived and, being a fire elemental demon, he hated the cold with a passion. All too soon, the buildings began to decrease in number, getting relaced by trees as if the whole town just melted back into the forest it had sprung from. The temperature noticibly decreased, causing the boy to wrap his arms around himself in an effort to keep warm. Finally he reached the place he called home these days. It had once been a small cottage, sitting on a hill, but had been abandoned several years ago. He remembered hearing soemthing about wild animals, but had yet to see any real reason for the former inhabitants to move out. Honoo opened the creaky door and entered, thankful for what little shelter it provided. There were many hold in the walls that let the wind come whistling through despite any attempt to reapair them. Repairs would have been easy if he'd had any money, which brought him back to the events of today. That hawk-eyed shop keeper had caught him stealing again. Honoo wished that the man had worse vision and a little more sympathy. It wasn't as if he enjoyed stealing food from the man, or that he really needed it live, he was an elemental and therefore immortal, but he still got hunger pains from not eating.   
  
"Stupid humans don't trust what they don't understand..." Honoo muttered to himself as he set a bunch of branches on fire in the make shift fire place. He grabbed his blanket, threw it over his shoulders and sat down as close to the small fire as possible.  
  
"I've really gotta head somewhere warmer..."  
  
  
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A/N: Well, it was just this idea that was floating around for awhile... Honoo and Yuki had to met eachother and Mosqui at some point, right? And just how well could Fire and Ice get along in the begining? Read and Review to give me some ideas. I desperatly need them. I warn you ahead of time that I probably will never finish this...unless of course my Writer's block decides to leave. -_-; 


	2. Where's Yuki, you ask?

Disclaimer: Heh heh heh... No.  
  
  
"Uhhhh..... I really have to move somewhere colder! This place is just too hot!"  
  
Yuki sat in the shade cast by one of the buildings. She swore she could see the heat rising from the ground in waves. The fact that it was winter did little, in her opinion, to lower the temperature. Her light blue eyes narrowed as she surveyed the happenings of the small town. Church had let out a while ago and people were walking leisurly around, taking no notice of her small form, a group of men were talking on the other side of the street, a boy was being chased down the road by a large dark haired man. The last thing caught her attention. She blinked and raised an eyebrow as they ran past.  
  
"Ohhhkay. Not asking," she muttered to herself.   
  
A small grin spread across her face as she considered helping the kid out, but quickly pushed the thought away. She didn't want to draw that kind of attention to herself, especially in a religious town such as this. She had been attacked before and froze the creepy guy. The result? Getting chased across the continent by an even creepier guy who demanded that he be her master... Yeah. Right. Like she was going to let THAT happen as long as she could fight back. No one was going to control her life, especially if it took so little effort to kick his ass. Pathetic humans.  
  
Yuki stood and stretched, wanting to find a place that was a little cooler. The sun had descended towards the west and diminished her small patch of shade. She began wandering down the road, looking for some better shade. As she walked she began to consider where she could go that would be decently cold.  
  
"I heard that it's always cold way up north. Maybe I could hitch a ride there somehow."  
  
She stopped just outside of the small town and leaned against a tree. A cool refreshing breeze was blowing causing the grass to sway in the wind, a stream babbled soothingly, animals were frolicing happily about, someone was sneaking around. Damn, why weren't things normal today? Yuki turned her eyes in the person's direction while trying not to seem like she noticed anything was wrong. The shadow had become all too familiar.   
  
"Not again..." She sighed and stood up straight, walking slowly in the man's direction. "Could you take a hint, please? I don't like you. I'm not going anywhere with you. Leave me alone."   
  
For once Creepy Stalker Guy didn't try to make some fancy comeback. Yuki figured she'd have to freeze him and go somewhere else yet again. A feeling of uneasiness came over her as she advanced. The man's quietness was somewhat disturbing.  
  
He stood at the opposite end of a clearing in the trees. Yuki stopped at the edge and looked at him with her arms crossed. "Can't you just leave?"  
  
Motion caught her eye. He'd brought friends. From what she could see, there were quite a few of them, more than she was comfortable with handling.  
  
Creepy Stalker Guy just grinned, obviously thinking she hadn't noticed. Idiot.  
  
"Afraid to take me on?" he taunted lamely.  
  
"No. I don't want to have to deal with them." Yuki turned and disappeared into trees.  
  
The guy stood there blinking (looking stupidly amazed that his "brilliant" plot had failed) for a few seconds before yelling, "After her!"  
  
  
  
  
  
********  
  
A/N: ^__^ I got reviews! *Is happy* Ahem... ANYway, to address some comments:   
  
No, Mako, it won't be a self-insertion fic *Eye twitch* I personally dislike them. A lot. No offense to those who enjoy them. There probably will be some original characters, but they'll most likely be evil.   
  
Katzztar: I don't have a set location for the story. I kind of pictured something like suburban New York a long time ago (with higher average temperatures)- small towns, unpaved roads, etc. (this takes place long before the series...let's say 500 years). Just to make a few things clear- Honoo and Yuki haven't met eachother or Mosquiton. I also have no plan, I'm going to let this fic take me where it will. That leaves more of a chance of me finishing it.  
  
And to Yuki-chan: Thanks! ^__^ 


	3. Yuki runs out and Honoo strolls in....

Yuki ran laughing through the forest and quickly lost her pursuit.  
  
The group of men, obviously out of practice when it came to chasing 'hyperactive children', stopped just inside a small clearing. Most doubled over, trying to catch their breath, but the man who had hired them stood up straight and glared into the trees ahead. There was no sign of the small, dark haired girl.  
  
"Ryoko? Why are we going through all this trouble to catch a kid?" asked one of the hired men.  
  
Their leader continued to stare sulkily. "That's none of your business. I paid you to help me capture her and you all failed. You're fired."  
  
Another raised an eyebrow in his direction. "You're not getting rid of us until we get paid."  
  
With a scowl, Ryoko threw the money in their direction and told them to leave. After counting the payment, the group of men walked back towards the village.  
  
"Villagers are so touchy around here," Ryoko muttered.  
  
A half snort was what alerted him to the fact that he was not alone. For the first time, Ryoko actually looked around the small clearing... and found there was a house here too. Damn, the villagers were even touchier about trespassing.  
  
He assumed that, since he couldn't see anyone, he could quietly sneak away before he got into any trouble. Wrong... The second Ryoko began backing up towards the trees, a voice called out.  
  
"Whatcha think your doing?"  
  
Ryoko froze. On the opposite side of the clearing, a man parted from the shadows and walked in Ryoko's direction. He wasn't quite sure how he'd missed seeing the guy the first time, his red hair stood out rather obviously from the green of the trees.  
  
The man approached until he was only a few feet away, and then crossed his arms, waiting for a response. He didn't look very pleased.  
  
Ryoko sweat dropped and tried to think of an excuse. "Well... ya see... I ummm... Had some problems with.... my hired help?"  
  
"And what does this have to do with the lot of you stampeding around here?" The red haired man raised an eyebrow.  
  
"I have this...well... it's that..," Ryoko stuttered. Suddenly, an idea came. "My servant ran away. I was just trying to get her back home, but I needed some help. My help didn't help much, though. Are you, by chance, in need of money?"  
  
That caught the other man off guard. He looked slightly surprised for a few seconds before narrowing his eyes. "Seems to be a lot of trouble for one servant."  
  
"Yeah, well I'm stubborn. My name's Ryoko." He stuck out his hand for a polite hand shake.  
  
No sign of friendliness came from the red haired man. He remained silent for what seemed an eternity before reciprocating. "Honoo."  
  
Being an idiot, any connection between the name and the element was lost on Ryoko.  
  
"Shall we begin negotiations?"  
  
Honoo nodded and led the way into the small house.  
  
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Author's Note: Sorry about the big delay. ^_^;; I was bogged down with HW and essays all week, not to mention that I started getting sick. Bleh. My bad guy has a name courtesy of http://hsb.baylor.edu/html/vanauken/JapaneseNames.html . And I have no idea what it means... ANYway, Ryoko is just a power hungry idiot most of the time. No real ulterior motives....at least not yet.  
  
As always, much thanks the reviewers who are the only reason I'm getting this out in a somewhat timely fashion. *Hugz*  
  
The main plot idea of this story goes to Spot the ChelseA who let me steal her idea. Thanks Spot! ^_^  
  
If you see any grammatical errors, please point them out to me at Honoo is Sexy@AOL.com Thank you! 


	4. Late Night Chaos

Well, after a minor password recovery crisis, I once again have access to my username!! YAY! And a sudden urge to continue this little fic despite the fact that it's 4 AM, I have no plot ideas and I have to go to work at 8 in the morning! YAY! Oh, the joys of being a writer! So...here goes nothing.  
  
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Honoo leaned against the door jam, eyeing the man in front of him suspiciously. He hated humans. But...money meant food and warmth and most importantly, getting the hell out of this place. If this guy was stupid enough to waste it to get some little girl back, Honoo had no problem with using him. It would be perfectly easy: pick up girl, drop at weird guys feet, take money, be on way to India or somewhere.  
  
The annoying voice of the man who was trying to buy his help abruptly shoved its way into his thoughts. The man sounded like he was explaining something he considered important, but Honoo didn't bother to listen clearly. He really wished the man would just shut up and let the chase begin so it could end already. There was no sense in waiting around since it was only going to get colder.  
  
"Heeeeeeey! Are you even listening to me?" Ryoko loudly demanded.  
  
"Are you paying me to pay attention to you?" Honoo stared out at the approaching nightfall as he waited for some kind of response. Several moments of silence passed. A tad confused, Honoo glanced in the man's direction. Ryoko was sitting on the floor now and seemed deep in thought. After several more seconds, Honoo kicked a rock at him.  
  
The man looked up. "I'm not sure. Does it cost more that way?"  
  
Blink. Blink. "Get out."  
  
"Wait! I get it now! That was a play on words, right? PAYING you to PAY attention. Right?"  
  
Not having any desire to argue the point, Honoo just nodded. The man seemed happy with his conclusion and stood up, brushing off his pants. "All right then! Since it's dark out, we'll resume our hunt for the girl tomorrow. Beware what I warned you of."  
  
With that, the man shook Honoo's hand firmly and left, whistling a jaunty tune.  
  
"Why the hell did I agree to do this?"  
  
Honoo mentally kicked himself. How could he hope to deal with such stupidity? With a sigh, he resolved not to worry about it until tomorrow. Whatever happened would happen whether or not he worried about it all night. He relaxed and let his body slide down to a sitting position on the floor, allowing himself to slip back into his childlike form. It took too much energy to stay as an adult. Energy that he was going to have to save for tomorrow, when he'd need it to keep his sanity. Yup. Humans sucked. In lots of new and irritating ways.  
  
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If anything good could be said for this area, it would be that it had such a beautiful environment, Yuki mused. She had slowed to a walk once she was sure that no one had continued to chase after her and began to enjoy the magnificent flowers around her. Most of the buds had closed even before twilight fell, but it was still pretty. Somehow untouched by the madness she'd just escaped. Yuki gave an aggravated groan at the unfairness of the situation. It wasn't likely that she could enjoy simple things like this for much longer. That bastard might not be really intelligent or strong enough to do more than piss her off, but he was stubborn and probably rich. He'd figure out something someday and she felt her luck was beginning to run out.  
  
She was walking on thin ice. Oh, the irony of such stupid phrases. Enough to make one sick. So all her depressing musing had led back to the original question.  
  
Since speaking aloud was supposed to help one organize incoherent thoughts, Yuki addressed the trees. "What can I do to get rid of annoyingly persistent rich boy that I haven't already tried...?"  
  
The trees weren't very forthcoming with ideas, so she continued on her own. "I tried being nice about it. I tried freezing him and running away. I tried throwing random things at him. I tried to incite a riot against him by screaming "help, rape." bribable peasants have NO sense of morality... That leaves things like pretending to give in or finding some nonbribable peasants for a mob... and maybe tricking him into thinking he's having a very weird dream and I'm not even real. He COULD be gullible enough for it to work. Or I could..."  
  
"FUCK!"  
  
Her eyes went a bit wide at the thought of that and she looked accusingly around as to which tree had dared to put forth such an idea. But everything around her seemed normal. And the convenient thing about talking to the trees was supposed to be that they couldn't talk back, right? Or maybe it was that they didn't listen? Yuki's intentional sidetracking search to remember the correct saying was interrupted by a sudden crash, followed by a flow of more curses. Curious, she wandered off the path she had been taking and followed the continued smashing sounds and yelling.  
  
The way sounds echoed through the trees made it a bit difficult to pinpoint exactly where the chaos was going on, but Yuki knew she'd stumbled into the right place when she was nearly beheaded by a flying tree trunk. It was only the tuck and roll instinct saved her from being impaled.  
  
It was perfectly obvious that this was not merely a bizarre animal mating ritual or a lumberjack on drugs, there was a fight going on.  
  
When Yuki was sure that lifting her head wouldn't be met with instant decapitation, she peeked out of the bushes she had dove into for cover. To her right was a grey haired man, glaring daggers at a funny looking blonde guy farther on her left. They were at that part of the fight where they both needed to take a break, so they would stand by and use petty insults.  
  
"How DARE you dishonor your entire bloodline with such betrayal!?" The creepy blonde guy was pretty pissed off about something.  
  
Grey-haired, slightly more sane man was fairly grumpy as well. "Betrayal! A bit strong coming from a being that irrationally believes that he's so superior that he can use anyone as if they were pawns in a chess game!"  
  
"Pot calling the kettle black," Yuki muttered quietly.  
  
Both heads turned immediately in her direction. With a startled "meep!" Yuki tore out of her hiding place. She was saved by the blonde's attempt to attack the other while he was distracted.  
  
The fight had resumed, and she had thankfully been forgotten.  
  
"How do I manage to get myself into even more trouble?" she mumbled after making absolutely sure she hadn't been followed. "Don't they say that spending too much time alone is bad for your sanity or something like that?"  
  
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About a mile west, Honoo was laying awake, thinking the same thing.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ There went nothing, indeed.  
  
It's too early in the morning for me to be optimistic or funny. I apologize for my depressing characterizations and my overuse of bad humor.  
  
Don't ask where I'm trying to go with this, because I have no clue! *Does the insane author dance*  
  
I'm rather skeptical about my characterizations, so if you think they're off in some way; say so in a review. Don't worry; I won't bite. I'll just beat the computer, refuse to accept that my writing isn't perfect, set a few things on fire, cry, admit you may be right and then try to commit suicide because this fic isn't 110% perfect in every way. So, have fun! Destroy my sanity! Help me fix this humble little fanfic! 


End file.
